Are you ready for President John Bolton?

posted at 4:27 pm on August 30, 2010 by Allahpundit

“[I]t is a very great honor that anybody would even think of asking. I’m obviously not a politician. I’ve never run for any federal elective office at all and, you know, it is something that would obviously require a great deal of effort,” he said. “What I do think, though, and what concerns me, is the lack of focus generally in the national debate about national security issues. Now, I understand the economy is in a ditch and people are concerned about it, but our adversaries overseas are not going to wait for us to get our economic house in order.”

When pressed as to whether that means he would consider a run, Bolton seemed to suggest that he might do it, at the very least to help put national security issues at the top of the debate agenda.

“In the sense that I want to make sure that not only in the Republican Party, but in the body politic as a whole, people are aware of threats that remain to the United States. You know, as somebody who writes op-eds and appears on the television, I appreciate as well as anybody that…there is a limit to what that accomplishes,” he said. “Whereas, some governor from some state in the middle of the country announces for president they get enormous coverage even if their views are utterly uninformed on major issues.”

When pressed a third time about running, he said that while “he is not going to do anything foolish,” he added, “you know, I see how the media works…you have to take that into account.”

He’s not saying he’d run to win, as I read him, rather that he’d run to make sure that foreign policy features prominently at the debates and to drag the big cheeses like Romney and Palin to the right. Although (a) I doubt there’s much daylight between the ‘Stache and the cheeses on most FP issues (his enthusiasm for attacking Iran’s nuclear program might be, shall we say, somewhat more robust than theirs), and (b) in theory Ron Paul’s presence at the debates last time should have forced the field a bit to the left on war and a bit to the right on spending and yet I can’t remember any of them saying or doing anything differently to pander to his followers. Where a neoconservative dark horse candidacy might become important (whether it’s Bolton or Liz Cheney or someone else) is if Afghanistan deteriorates further and the right starts to split on whether to stay or go. The fissures are already there per the dust-up between Bill Kristol and Ann Coulter over Michael Steele’s remarks on the war; another 18 months of stalemate in theater will open the rift wider, and then maybe you end up with strong hawks and doves jumping into the race in order to try to drive the party platform. (1968 redux, except on the GOP side this time?) That’ll be a nightmare for the party, as not only does it risk overwhelming the anti-statist message they plan to campaign on but, by driving a deep wedge between neocons and paleocons, it leaves someone feeling alienated and at risk of staying home — or even backing a third-party candidate. Presumably antipathy to Hopenchange on the right will be at such a fever pitch by 2012 that those differences will be put aside for the greater good by November, but who knows?

I hope PPP tosses him in as a wild card for their next 2012 snapshot poll of the GOP field, as I’m dying to know which frontrunner he’d draw the most support from. Oh — and do note in the Daily Caller piece that the ‘Stache is okay with gay marriage and with repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” so long as both are done with proper procedure. Which makes me wonder: Is there any member of Bush’s brain trust who still opposes both of those? Dubya himself is bound to be asked about them during his media tour to promote his memoir this fall. Anyone expecting two thumbs down from him?

Paleocons? Who cares? Other that a few loud, obnoxious voices (“What’s that? It’s Pat!”) they’re a tiny minority and always will be? We are dishonored to have them under the same tent. But in sum, I agree with you, Allah. I like The ‘Stache, but he would not add a whole lot to a race featuring viable conservative candidates.

I too think he’d be a great Secretary of State… That would be a great get for us as he’s known to be excellent in the foreign policy arena. This is why the Left, the obvious enemy of the U S, fought to keep him out of the U N.

I’d like to see JB run for something smaller first, like the House or a safe Senate seat. To run for President, unfortunately he’d have to lose the mustache and get a closer haircut because voters have become so shallow.

Bolton as C in C would make my family sleep better at night. The triangulation going on with the commies in South America, Russia and China (not to mention the Norks and the Mexican cartel war)coupled with our crippling debt and self-flagellation is truly frightening.

Bolton has a better grasp on all the threats to our country than, probably, anyone. Also, he exudes confidence instead of elitism and would give America a face of strength, not of a spoiled dork in mom jeans on a girl’s bike…

Max Boot is a good historian. On Islam, I often disagree with him, finding in his work the wishful thinking common among Islamic Democracy Project enthusiasts. Still, he is thoughtful and civil, so one always expects to learn something from reading him. It was therefore jarring to read his smug attempt to drum Diana West out of the conservative movement. Boot seems to see himself as William F. Buckley Jr. and West as the John Birch Society. If you’re going to play that game, you’d better be right. Boot is dead wrong.

Boot’s attack on West is an effort to defend a surpassingly foolish statement in which Gen. David Petraeus cast Israel as the source of all America’s woes in the Middle East. To his great discredit, the general — in a Clintonesque fashion which, as we shall see, is probably not a coincidence — simultaneously denied making the statement, grudgingly admitted making it while minimizing its significance, and accused West and others of misrepresenting his views. In fact, the general’s critics quoted his words at length, placed them in unmistakable context, and drew from them the same commonsense conclusion drawn by Israel’s gleeful critics — for whom Petraeus is the hero of the moment.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have an adult, muscular, American-centric leader such as Bolton in the SoS position. He is brilliantly informed and brooks no nonsense. Gone would be the “silly season” PC that has dominated our national policy and weakened us on the world stage.

“I’ve been operating under the assumption that the reason Obama devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn’t get it. Well, I was wrong. Obama’s problem isn’t that he doesn’t get it. Obama’s problem is that he can’t sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Barack Obama is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.”

he’d run to make sure that foreign policy features prominently at the debates and to drag the big cheeses like Romney and Palin to the right left.
[…]
Ron Paul’s presence at the debates last time should have forced the field a bit to the left right on war and a bit to the right on spending…

The GOP needs to run a fiscal conservative above all else. Our candidate needs to pledge to make deep cuts into government spending, repeal ObamaCare, keep taxes low (and maybe even cut the business tax)… a commitment to passing Paul Ryan’s roadmap would be a big head start.

Foreign policy doesn’t mean diddly squat if we can’t get our own house in order.

With Palin as the Chairman of the RNC and we have a winner all around.

NoDonkey on August 30, 2010 at 5:03 PM

That will not happen, the RNC members will never vote her in.

Give up your fantasy, accept your new female Grizzly Overlord.

I am very disturbed by the way many here are descending into idol worship with this Bolton fellow. He is just a man, people. Do not embarrass yourselves by acting just like the loathsome Obamabots, drooling at the first mustache to come along and sweep you off your feet like a bunch of mindless lemmings.

All he has done is mess around the State Department and the UN for a while. What about critical domestic policy?

We need someone who has done more about taxes and budgets, than twist their mustache evily and just talk about it.

No excuses. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care.

He’s not ready for President, let him be Sec of State.

Mitt can be RNC Chair. They would get along swimmingly.

Come on cultist worshipers of a false god, let’s at least pretend we are trying to be serious here./

I think you mistake us for Ron Paul, who actually is certifiable. He will never, ever be President of this country, ever.

You should drop to your knees and thank the Lord for the USA’s Military Industrial Complex right now, because it is the best thing that ever happened for every human being on this planet in the last 100 years. Without it, the world would have a much bleaker future.

That wouldn’t work out too well as Bolton would want us in all manner of Islamic Democracy Projects and West would not. Christie would spend half his time referring and he doesn’t know much about foreign policy.

Seriously, one thing that really concerns me is our whole foreign policy. If you democratize jihadists, you don;t make them non-jihadists, you make them democatic jihadists, as in Hamas. Whomever the next foreign policy team is, has go to understand we need to isolate the jihadists, cut them off economically, and be prepared to turn themm all to glass if it becomes nessarry. If Iran launches a sucessful nuclear test, how do you think it will take Israel to fire the retalitory strike and just how massive do you think it will be?

All I know about Bolton is what I’ve heard him say in the public arena about foreign policy, and some about domestic policy. But everything I have heard, I absolutely love. Based on that alone, I’d say yes. Hopefully he’s not another guy who’s brilliant politically, but a total deal-breaker socially and personally.

“Nugent dodged the draft during the Vietnam War. In an interview for the Detroit Free Press (July 15, 1990), Nugent described how he avoided the draft: He claims that 30 days before his Draft Board Physical, he stopped all forms of personal hygiene. The last ten days he ingested nothing but junk food and Pepsi, and a week before his physical he stopped using the bathroom altogether, virtually living inside pants caked with excrement and stained by his urine.”

The coward Ted Nugent apparently literally $hit in his pants, and for a week, to keep from going to RVN.

He makes Bill Clinton look like Rambo and a class act by comparison, and that ain’t easy. Not easy at all.

When Nugent showed up at the induction center like that, they should have taken him out in the back alley, stuffed him in a barrel, and burned $hit.

If Iran launches a sucessful nuclear test, how do you think it will take Israel to fire the retalitory strike and just how massive do you think it will be?

paulsur on August 30, 2010 at 10:18 PM

Putting aside the fact that a successful test =/= an actual attack…

Israel will only let loose with their nukes if they are (or think they are) boxed into a corner where using the ultimate weapons is their only faint chance for survival. They know, and their enemies know they know, that the minute they let fly is when mad mullahs the world ’round point their swords order an all-for-Allah charge.

If you’ve ever played RTS games, picture getting Zerg-rushed by suicide units, tank-blitzed, and missile-spammed…by opponents with much larger armies…from three directions…simultaneously. That’s what they’d be facing.

Hell I’d be happy with Super World Lord for Life Bolton if it came down to it.

Bolton is infinitely smarter than anyone currently in Washington, he did his job very well and he did it as a job that needed to be done, not like Barry who thinks he can just get things right 10% of the time.